Chapter 70 The First Round of Confrontation
Jingshu went out and met several maids and servants. She asked them to bring some ice to the bridal chamber, but they all refused, saying that they were too insignificant to bring ice, or that they were too busy with the wedding banquet and could not spare the time, so she asked her to find someone else. This seemingly insignificant request seemed to be a hot potato among the servants of Yuan Mansion.
Jingshu continued to look for the gate of the courtyard. When she met maids and servants again, they either lowered their heads to avoid her and hurried past, or covered their mouths with their hands and looked at each other in whispers. The flicker and avoidance in their eyes made Jingshu angry. After asking several people, not only did no one help, but no one could even point out a clear way. Jingshu was furious. No matter how dumb she was, she could see that this was a deliberate excuse. The guests from the Sheng family had not left yet, but the Yuan family had already had evil intentions and was trying to intimidate their daughter. Jingshu knew that she must not let them succeed.
Jingshu was originally a dowry that Sheng Hong had specially found for Hualan. Her name was Jingshu, but she got a new name when she met Hualan. In fact, Jingshu's personality had nothing to do with her name. She had a hot temper and would not suffer any loss. Seeing that there was no one in charge of the Yuan family, Jingshu directly stepped over the gate of the new house and went out. The maid at the door had no time to find ice, but she could stop Jingshu from leaving.
"Miss, you just came to our Earl's Mansion with the Second Madam. You may not be familiar with the road. If you have any request
, please tell me and I will do it for you." The maid seemed to be gentle, but she emphasized the three words "Earl's Mansion" in her words, which seemed to mock her for being petty and narrow-minded. Jingshu didn't buy it. Since the maid dared to say this, Jingshu directly made a request, "There is no ice in our Madam's room. Please go to the ice cellar and get more."
"Oh my, Miss, you are really making it difficult for me. The ice is used by the masters and is very expensive. How can I get it!" The maid began to shirk responsibility again.
"Hmph, I'm afraid you, an old slave, are taking advantage of your age and being lazy because you have worked in this mansion for a few more years. How can ice be so rare? Since the beginning of summer, when the weather has become hot, our lady has been using ice all the time at her parents' home. Not to mention the master, even the maids under the master's command have been given some. This is such a large Earl's mansion, which is much more grand than our Sheng Mansion. How can they be so fussy about using ice? You must be... Is this wicked servant trying to bully the master? Come on, follow me to the front yard to find someone who can talk to you and give you a good beating, then you will behave yourself! "Jingshu said, dragging the old woman out of the yard. Jingshu had learned some martial arts and was very strong. No matter how the old woman struggled, she couldn't get away. Even if another old woman came to pull Jingshu, they still couldn't pull her back. They could only let Jingshu drag the old woman out.
Wherever the three of them passed, they attracted the attention of all passers-by. The maids who were staring at the yard quickly ran to tell their masters. No one showed Jingshu the way. Jingshu didn't know where the banquet hall was, and she didn't ask. She knew clearly in her heart that the servants of the Yuan family would never tell her. They might even deliberately point her to the wrong place to mislead her. So she followed the sound to the lively place. The old woman was dragged by her, and even after she fell several times, Jingshu refused to let go. The servants of the Yuan family were frightened by Jingshu's tough appearance and dared not step forward, for fear of becoming innocent victims.
As we walked, we passed a garden and came across a lady surrounded by maids. She was wearing a gorgeous brocade dress with intricate and delicate patterns embroidered on it. Her hair was tied high and adorned with all kinds of jewels. It looked like a bridal crown. With every step she took, her earrings and bracelets inlaid with gems clashed lightly, making sounds, as if she was afraid that others would not know how noble she was. But the most eye-catching thing was her pointed chin and narrow eyes, which flashed with shrewdness and calculation.
She walked over from the other end of the garden, and before she came up, the voice was heard, "This girl must be the personal maid of the second lady in our mansion, right? She is worthy of being brought as a dowry by the second lady, and she is so beautiful!" The lady ignored the screaming old woman and only spoke to Jingshu, with a meaningful smile on her lips. The smile seemed to be an admiration for Jingshu's beauty, and it seemed to hide some unknown plan.
Jingshu waited for the lady to come up to her, looked her up and down, and then spoke, "I am new here, and I don't know how to address you, Madam?"
The smart lady suddenly laughed, and the maid beside her spoke, "This is the eldest lady of our Earl's Mansion!"
Jingshu pulled the old woman and bowed again, "Hello, Madam!" The lady hurriedly helped Jingshu up, and then she saw the old woman in Jingshu's hand, "Oh, what are you doing with this old woman?" Jingshu saw
the old woman holding Jingshu's hand.
As if she had finally opened her eyes, she replied, "Madam, please treat me badly. My name is Jingshu, and I am not worthy of being called a girl. You arrested this mean slave because she bullied my new master. It's so hot, and there's not even enough ice in the house. I was just about to take her to find someone in charge in the mansion!"
After hearing what Jingshu said, the old woman just cried out that she was wronged. She wanted to open her mouth to explain something, but was slapped in the face by the maid beside the Madam, silencing her. The eldest lady glanced at the maid on the ground, and a flash of disdain flashed across her eyes. She looked at Jingshu again, her eyes full of inquiry. She had always heard that the eldest daughter of the Sheng family was virtuous and kind, and she thought she was easy to control. Unexpectedly, the eldest maid next to her was so difficult to deal with. Was Sheng Hualan not as bad as the rumors outside?
"Why are you looking at me like this, Madam? I am so hot that I have lost my composure?" Jingshu saw that the other party did not respond, and continued.
"How dare you! How dare you talk to Madam like this!" It was the maid who slapped people and scolded Jingshu again. Jingshu thought to herself that she was the role of this maid. She said what the master was not convenient to say, and she beat up those who the master did not like. She just wanted to protect the master.
Thinking of this, Jingshu did not respond to the maid's words, but spoke to the eldest lady, "The eldest lady may have asked someone to get ice. Our lady is still warming up in the house. It's not possible that the Earl's Mansion can't even call the master? It's not possible that there is no ice in the mansion? If not, I think the guests from the Sheng Mansion have not left yet. I will go and inform them and ask them to tell our master and the eldest lady to send some ice to the Earl's Mansion for our lady."
Jingshu's words made the eldest lady's face twitch. She only thought that because of her status as the eldest lady, no maid or old woman dared to challenge her. Unexpectedly, Jingshu not only dared to ask her directly, but also had a sharp tongue and stopped her from talking. Thinking of the guests who were still at the wedding banquet, the eldest lady was afraid to act rashly. "Miss Jingshu, what are you talking about? We don't lack common things like ice in our house. It's just that the servants were lazy and let my brother and sister-in-law's room lack ice. These people rely on their old age to bully the master. I will definitely punish them later. Cuizhu, take someone to get some ice and send it to the new room."